Saturday, February 05, 2011

Weeks in review

A roundup of state and local news-review and weekly political chat shows. Descriptions provided by the broadcast outlets in most cases:

Chicago Tonight: Week in Review (WTTW): Host Joel Weisman with Mary Mitchell (Chicago Sun-Times), Brant Miller (NBC-5 News), Abdon Pallasch (Chicago Sun-Times), Rich King (WGN-TV). The Blizzard of 2011 takes Chicago by storm, absolutely paralyzing the city. The third largest blizzard ever caused complete chaos on Lake Shore Drive, with hundreds of stranded drivers and abandoned cars. As the city continues to dig out, some blame city officials for not shutting down the historic thoroughfare sooner. Meanwhile, the mayoral race turns nasty with Carol Moseley Braun accusing opponent Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins of being a crack addict -- then apologizing to her opponent. The governor signs the Civil Unions bill, granting same-sex couples in committed relationships some of the same benefits of marriage. And in sports, the Bulls are red-hot, while the Jay Cutler knee controversy continues to burn.

The Best Game in Town (.mp3) WBEZ: Host Steve Edwards with Daniel Anthony (Illinois Policy Institute) and Alderman Ed Bus (53rd ward). We reflect on the politics of white stuff--from a crack controversy early in the week to snow on LSD and dibs.

CapitolView WSEC-TV/PBS Springfield: Host Bernie Schoenburg (Springfield State Journal-Register) is joined by Bob Gough (quincynews.org) and Scott Reeder (Illinois Statehouse News) . Topics include the politics of snow, New Jersey's business development efforts in Illinois, ongoing budget issues and civil union legislation.

Connected to Chicago (mp3) WLS-AM -- Host
Bill Cameron with Greg Hinz of Crain Chicago Business, Ray Long of the Chicago Tribune and John Dempsey of 890am WLS. They discuss this week's blizzard in Chicago and whether or not the City of Chicago did a good job of clearing the streets for commuters. Also, Governor Quinn signed the civil unions law that allows gay couples to have legal marriage rights in Illinois. And Ray gives us an update on what to look for this year with the legislators in Springfield. Also, Mayoral Candidate Carol Moseley Braun apologizes for a gaffe about another candidate being strung out on crack.

About "Change of Subject."

"Change of Subject" by Chicago Tribune op-ed columnist Eric Zorn contains observations, reports, tips, referrals and tirades, though not necessarily in that order. Links will tend to expire, so seize the day. For an archive of Zorn's latest Tribune columns click here. An explanation of the title of this blog is here. If you have other questions, suggestions or comments, send e-mail to ericzorn at gmail.com.
More about Eric Zorn

Contributing editor Jessica Reynolds is a 2012 graduate of Loyola University Chicago and is the coordinator of the Tribune's editorial board. She can be reached at jreynolds at tribune.com.